Coach Al Hobson met a Royals player last December -- someone he had never heard of. But now, everyone knows outfielder Lorenzo Cain's name.

The Royals team doctor thought that maybe something in the way Cain was running may have caused all the injuries he had. The doctor, old friends with the coach, recommended he spend some time with Hobson.

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Hobson has also coached the likes of Olympians Maurice Greene and Justin Gatlin.

He said Cain was running all wrong.

"See where her hips are, so how far behind her hips her shoulders are," Hobson said. "That's the way Lorenzo was running."

Hobson said over the next two to three months, he worked with Cain, and the ballplayer worked hard.

Hobson said Cain told him he would do whatever it took, and he never once complained.

"He did everything that a sprinter would do, never griped, sometimes it looked like he was gonna die, but he wouldn't quit," Hobson said.

The coach said all credit goes to Cain for his remarkable work ethic and dedication to improving. He said he's proud of how far he's come, and can't wait to watch what he'll do next in the World Series.

Cain was named the most valuable player after the Royals won American League Championship Series.